Top boot assembly



y 1967 R. R. AMESBURY TOP BOOT ASSEMBLY Filed Sept. 24. 1965 R02"??? R.flnaesbury, b i

9 K Mw United States Patent 3,332,717 TOP BOOT ASSEMBLY Robert R.Amesbury, Wellesley, Mass., assignor to United- Carr Incorporated,Cambridge, Mass., a corporation of Delaware Filed Sept. 24, 1965, Ser.No. 490,011 2 Claims. (Cl. 296-136) This invention relates generally toan improved convertible top boot construction and more specifically to anovel fastener and fastener boot combination by which the boot isreleasably attached to the body of the convertible vehicle.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a top boot which canbe quickly and securely attached to and readily detached from anexterior deck molding located adjacent the top receiving well of avehicle.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel fastener forengaging a cross-section of a deck molding, which fastener will notdamage, or mar the appearance of 3,332,717 Patented July 25, 1967 icethrough which the stud 8 extends with the head of the stud overlyingportions of the band to securely retain it to the molding engagingmember, an end flange 14 extending angularly outwardly and upwardly fromone end of the band beyond the corresponding end of the member 2, and apair of integral, oppositely bent fingers 15 drawn from the band andextending upwardly from the surface thereof remote from the member 2.The drawing of the fingers 15 from the band provides an opening 16 inregistration with the opening 10 in the member 2.

FIGS. 1 and 2 disclose the installation of the top boot assembly 17 overthe top-receiving well of a convertible vehicle. The inboard edges ofthe boot 17 are secured to the interior of the vehicle by anyconventional fastening means desired and the outboard edges are securedto an exterior deck molding located adjacent the Well by a plurality ofthe fasteners shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 which the molding even afterrepeated fastening and unfastening of the top boot.

Another object of the invention is to provide a top boot wherein thefastening means for securing it to the vehicle body are completelyconcealed when the boot is in place.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a top bootfastener which will engage a substantial crosssection of the deckmolding anywhere along the length of the molding, thus eliminating theproblems previously encountered with the alignment of the fastenersattached 1 to the boot with selectively spaced mating fasteners mountedon the vehicle body or narrow headings and/or protrusions on the deckmolding.

Other objects and advantages of the novel top boot and fastenerconstruction will become evident from a reading of the followingdetailed description in conjunction with a viewing of the accompanyingdrawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the rear portion of a convertibleautomobile with the top retracted and the boot installed over thetop-receiving well;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken on line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an end view of the molding engaging fastener shown in FIG. 2prior to its attachment to the top boot; and

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of a clip employed to secure the moldingengaging fastener to the top boot.

Referring now to the drawing wherein like referenced characters refer tocorresponding parts in all views, the fastener 1 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3includes a molded synthetic resin, for example, the acetal resinmarketed by Dupon-t under the trade name Delrin, molding engaging member2 and a sheet metal reinforcing band 3 clamped about the upper surfaceof the molding engaging member 2.

The molding engaging member 2 has a generally C shaped cross section andincludes opposed, internal hooklike portions 4 and 5, a plurality ofexternal notches 6 and 7 located generally opposite the hook-likeportions, an integral stud 8 extending outwardly from its top surface, arecess 9 formed in its undersurface intermediate the hook-like portions4 and 5, a through aperture 10 adjacent the recess 9 and a pair of sideflanges 11 extending outwardly from its upper surface and forming achannel for receipt of the reinforcing band 3.

The reinforcing band 3, made from spn'ngy sheet metal, is clamped overthe top surface of the molding engaging member 2 between the flanges 11.The band 3 includes a pair of hooks 12 at its opposite ends which are insnapped engagement in the notches 6 and 7, a slot 13 are located atselected spaced intervals along the outboard edges of the boot. When theboot is in place the fasteners which engage the molding are fullyconcealed from view.

For purposes of illustration the boot 17 is shown to include'a clothvinyl external covering 18 and a foam rubber backing 19 secured to theunderside of the covering. In addition, the boot 17 is provided with aflat, relatively rigid, stiffener 20, in this instance shown to be of asynthetic resin, for example polyethylene adjacent its outboard edges.The covering, backing, and stifiener are secured together by a binding21 stitched or otherwise secured along the edge of the boot 17. Thebacking 19 is secured by an adhesive to the remainder of the undersideof the covering and the stiffener is adhesively secured to the backingafter the attachment of the fastener 1 as will be more fully explainedhereinafter. The stiffener 20 is provided with a plurality of generallyrectangular openings 22 and a plurality of elongated slots 23 adjacentthe outboard edges of the boot.

The assembly of the fastener 1 to the top boot is accomplished prior tothe adhesion of the stiffener 20 to the foam rubber backing 19. Theflange 14 extending from the band 3 is first passed through the slot 23in the stiffener and thereafter the oppositely bent fingers 15 arepassed through the opening 22 and engaged by the spring clip 24 tocomplete the attachment.

As seen in FIG. 4 the clip 24 includes a base portion 25, upwardlyextending end flange 26 and a pair of generally parallel, planar, springlegs 27 partially sheared from the base 25 and extending from the baseopposite the flange 26 to define a slot 28. The internal edge of each ofthe spring legs 27 is notched at 29 with the length of each notch beingslightly greater than the length of the fingers 15. The distance acrossthe entrance to the slot 28 is slightly less than the distance betweenthe external sides of the fingers 15 adjacent the aperture 16. Thus onecan readily observe that as the clip 24 is forced over the fingers 15 bya pressure exerted on the end flange 26 the legs 27 are spread apartuntil the fingers 15 seat in the notches 29 whereupon the legs springback to the position of FIG. 4 and lock the fastener 1'to the stiffener20. The clip 24 is prevented from riding upwardly by the outwardly bentportions of the fingers 15 which overlie the upper surface of the legs27 and force the latter against the adjacent surface of the stiffener20.

It should also be noted that in certain applications the spring clip 24may be eliminated and the fastener 1 secured to the boot by a rivetpassing through the aligned apertures 10, 16 and 22 and overlying theupper surface of the stiffener 20 and the undersurface of the moldingengaging member 2 adjacent the recess 9. In fact it is for the purposeof accommodating a head of a rivet that the member 2 is provided withsaid recess.

Once the fastener 1 is secured to the stilfener by the clip 24, a rivetor some other acceptable attaching means, the stilfener is adhesivelysecured to the backing 19.

At this point it should be noted that the flange 14 bears against theupper surface of the stiffener 20 and acts to stabilize the fastener bypreventing any vertical pivotal motion with respect to the boot, andalso acts to transmit upward forces on the boot and stiifener directlyto the molding engaging portions of the fastener when one desires todetach the top boot from the molding.

As clearly seen in FIG. 2 the outboard edges of the boot are secured tothe vehicle body by snapping the molding engaging portion 2 of thefastener 1 over a substantial'cross section of the deck molding 30.

For purposes of this disclosure only, the illustrated molding isdepicted as having a dimpled profile along its inboard side toaccommodate the hook-like portion 4 of the member 2. However, thecross-sectional configuration of a molding is not considered critical tothe invention since the molding engaging member 2 may be formed ormolded to provide hook-like portions which will elfectively engage across-section of a variety of generally C shaped moldings.

In this regard it should be generally understood that What has beendisclosed herein is to be interpreted in an illustrative rather than alimited sense, and that it is anticipated that changes and modificationsto the disclosures may be accomplished without departing from the scopeof the invention as clearly defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A convertible vehicle top boot assembly which is adapted to besecured to a deck molding adjacent the topreceiving well when the top isretracted, said top boot having a stiffening means adjacent its outermarginal edge, said stiffening means having a plurality of openingstherein for receiving multiple elements of each of a plurality 4 ofmolding engaging clips and a plurality of molding engaging clips securedthereto by attaching means passing through certain of said openings,said clips including a resilient, nonmetallic, molding engaging memberhaving 5 opposed hook-like portions adapted to be snapped over theexterior of-a cross section of the molding and a resilient,metalreinforcing band clamped about the top surface of said moldingengaging member adjacent said stiifening means, said reinforcing bandhaving a clip stabilizing flange extending longitudinally thereof beyondone end of said molding engaging member and through other of theopenings in said stiflening means and bear- I ing against the surface ofsaid'stifiening means remote from said molding engaging member.

2. A top boot assembly according to claim 1 wherein said attaching meansincludes a pair of integral opposed fingers extending from said metalreinforcing band through said openings in said stiflfening means and aspring clip in snapped engagement with said fingers at the surface ofsaid stiifening means remote from said molding engaging member in spacedrelationship to said clip stabilizing flange.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS BENJAMIN HERSH, Primary Examiner.

C. C. PARSONS, Assistant Examiner.

1. A CONVERTIBLE VEHICLE TOP BOOT ASSEMBLY WHICH IS ADAPTED TO BESECURED TO A DECK MOLDING ADJACENT THE TOPRECEIVING WELL WHEN THE TOP ISRETRACTED, SAID TOP BOOT HAVING A STIFFENING MEANS ADJACENT ITS OUTERMARGINAL EDGE, SAID STIFFENING MEANS HAVING A PLURALITY OF OPENINGSTHEREIN FOR RECEIVING MULTIPLE ELEMENTS OF EACH OF A PLURALITY OFMOLDING ENGAGING CLIPS AND A PLURALITY OF MOLDING ENGAGING CLIPS SECUREDTHERETO BY ATTACHING MEANS PASSING THROUGH CERTAIN OF SAID OPENINGS,SAID CLIPS INCLUDING A RESILIENT, NONMETALLIC, MOLDING ENGAGING MEMBERHAVING OPPOSED HOOK-LIKE PORTIONS ADAPTED TO BE SNAPPED OVER THEEXTERIOR OF A CROSS SECTION OF THE MOLDING AND A RESILIENT, METALREINFORCING BAND CLAMPED ABOUT THE TOP SURFACE OF SAID MOLDING ENGAGINGMEMBER ADJACENT SAID STIFFENING MEANS, SAID REINFORCING BAND HAVING ACLIP STABILIZING FLANGE EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY THEREOF BEYOND ONE ENDOF SAID MOLDING ENGAGING MEMBER AND THROUGH OTHER OF THE OPENINGS INSAID STIFFENING MEANS AND BEARING AGAINST THE SURFACE OF SAID STIFFENINGMEANS REMOTE FROM SAID MOLDING ENGAGING MEMBER.